How to Make a 3-D Thomas the Train Cake
Thomas the Tank Engine is a blue cartoon train with a human face. This cake is not difficult to make as long as you can locate a 3-D train cake pan. Wilton offers one of these pans, which can be ordered from their website; you may be able to find a used cake pan in a resale shop. The 3-D pan greatly simplifies the process of carving a cake into the proper shape. Does this Spark an idea?
Things You'll Need
- Cake mix
- 3-D train cake pan
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Toothpick
- Cake board
- Blue frosting
- 6 round sandwich cookies
- Red licorice
- Printer
- Paper
- Clear tape
- Yellow frosting
- Chocolate frosting
- Black food coloring
Instructions
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Baking
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1
Prepare one box of cake mix according to the package directions.
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2
Spray both halves of a 3-D train cake pan with nonstick cooking spray. This cake pan does not have to be a Thomas cake pan, as you will be able to decorate the train cake to look like Thomas the Tank Engine.
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3
Pour the cake mix into one half of the cake pan and snap the other half on top.
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4
Bake the cake at 350 degrees F for approximately 50 to 60 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the top of the cake will come out clean when the cake is done.
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5
Remove the top pan from the cake and allow the cake to cool in the bottom pan until completely cool. This will take at least 4 hours.
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6
Remove the cooled train cake from the pan and gently place it upright on a cake board or a serving platter.
Decorating
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7
Frost the cooled cake with blue frosting, except for the smokestack. Frost the smokestack with black frosting.
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8
Frost six round sandwich cookies with blue frosting. Attach these cookies along the bottom of the cake to represent Thomas' wheels.
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9
Push a piece of red licorice into each side of the cake above the wheels.
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10
Print a picture of Thomas' face onto printer paper. Laminate the face with clear tape and affix it to the front of the train.
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11
Pipe a No. 1 onto each side of the cake with yellow frosting.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Create blue frosting by adding a few drops of blue food coloring to white frosting.
Make black frosting by adding black food coloring to chocolate frosting.
Instead of printing Thomas' face onto paper, you can pipe the face using gray and black frosting if you are skilled at cake decorating.
